


Souvenirs Are Just Stories

by NakedDumblydore



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: BB-8's on vacation or something IDFK, But they're not married, Dameron Family, Finn takes Poe's last name, First Kiss, Homesickness, Just the tiniest bit of hanky panky, M/M, No worse than Disney really, Roommates, Souvenirs, Tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-23
Updated: 2016-01-23
Packaged: 2018-05-15 19:04:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5796223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NakedDumblydore/pseuds/NakedDumblydore
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Years ago, Shara Bey and Kes Dameron started collecting coffee mugs as souvenirs while working for the Rebel Alliance. Now, Poe collects them as part of the Resistance. It's a tradition that spans years and generations, and all the Damerons participate. All of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Souvenirs Are Just Stories

**Author's Note:**

> So, Partner went on a business trip last week and brought me back a souvenir to add to my family's collection. That collection is a big part of my family and our legacy, especially since my dad passed. So it feels like Partner is one of us now in a way he didn't before.
> 
> Then I thought, the Damerons were a well-traveled family. Maybe they collected something too.

 

Finn noticed them right away when Poe brought him back to their bunk for the first time. "That is... a lot of mugs."

Poe had grinned back at him without even following his gaze to the rack where a couple dozen mugs hung by their handles. "That's nothing," he said, setting Finn's bag on the empty bunk and grabbing the holopad from his desk. "That's just what I've gotten in the last two years. The full collection back home is much more impressive." With perfect timing, he tapped the pad with a flourish, and a holograph of an office sprang forth. Enormous display cases covered three walls. Two of them were completely filled with mugs; the third was well on its way.

"Okay, _that_ is a lot of mugs," Finn corrected himself. "Why?"

"My family collects them," Poe answered proudly, tapping again to send the holograph away. "Every time one of us goes to a new place, we get a mug from that place. Here, look." Poe crossed the room to the display and took down one that seemed to be welded from scrap metal, handing it to Finn. "This is the newest one. I got it from a merchant on Jakku while I was waiting for the Resistance to pick me up." He reached up and took another one, this one rather ostentatious-looking. "This one I got in the Uvoss system. That is to say I nicked it from the Pinnacle-class luxury ship I infiltrated in the Uvoss system."

"Hah! Hell of a souvenir," Finn laughed, handing the Jakku mug back to Poe. "Do they all come with a story?"

"Absolutely! That's all any of them are is a physical thing to represent the story!" Poe explained as he replaced the mugs on their hooks. "Shoot, that's why my parents started collecting. Any time someone had to go where the others couldn't follow, they came back with the mug and the story, and it was like the rest of us were there too. They tie us together in a tangible way even when there's half a galaxy or more between us...."

Poe's voice and expression had both gone soft, almost mournful, as he gently ran his hand over the collection. Finn pursed his lips before breaking the silence that followed the speech, "Man, if you don't cheer up, I'm marching up to General Organa's office right now to tell her to give you some leave."

"Heh, sorry, guess I do sound a little homesick, huh?" Poe's grin returned as he abandoned his collection to flop down on his bed. "Maybe I should comm my dad later. He could stand to hear about my dashing new roommate."

"Is there a third bed in here I don't know about?" Finn smirked, dropping onto his own mattress. "Oh, wow."

"What?"

Finn brought his legs up and reclined onto the pillow. "Ohhh, wow. This is the most incredible thing I've ever felt."

"The _bed_?"

"Yes! They really let us sleep in these?"

"Finn," Poe stood above his roommate now, "These are as standard issue as standard issue gets. Most Res members upgrade with a mattress pad and higher thread-count sheets as soon as they can."

"They get better than _this_?" Finn was too amazed to be offended by the amused smirk Poe was giving him.

"Okay, first chance we get, I'm taking you somewhere with a bed that will ruin you for all other beds."

"Make it someplace you've never been so you can get a new mug while you're at it."

 

* * *

 

"Heeey, buddy! Just heard the news!"

Finn looked up from his dossier at the sound of his roommate entering and rolled his eyes as he set the holopad aside. "That's a funny way of saying, 'I'm back from my recon mission two days later than planned, oh, and sorry for making you and the general worry.'"

"I'm sorry. You're right. Of course you're right. Let me try again," Poe apologized, retreating back out the door before Finn could respond. Not two seconds had passed before he burst back in, shouting, "Honey, I'm home!"

Finn groaned and lightly knocked his head against the wall. "Folks are going to think we're married again. It was hard enough getting them to leave it alone without pet names."

"But what a story to tell the grandkids, huh?" Poe smirked as he threw his arms around Finn's neck and planted a sloppy kiss on his cheek. Finn shoved him off and buried himself back in the dossier. Poe sighed and backed off. "I'm sorry, bud. I kinda forget how hard that was for you."

Finn was still a little amazed that Poe wasn't more embarrassed by that incident. Finn had played it off as not knowing that generally only married adults took each other's last names. Poe could claim no such ignorance. When Poe had said, "Dameron. Just use Dameron until you find a surname you like better. I'll be your family until then," of course Finn had taken him up on it. What else does a guy do when the handsomest, kindest, charmingest man he's ever seen offers his last name? He'd been happy to go by Finn Dameron right up until Snap heard him use the full name and demanded to know why he hadn't been invited to the wedding. Loudly. In the middle of a crowded mess hall. By lights out, everyone had heard about the Damerons' "secret nuptials."

Poe had caught a lot of flack for not connecting those dots, especially with the added context of the gifted jacket. Finn had mostly gotten sympathy, mixed with a fair bit of condescension. He was still more than okay letting folks think that he was embarrassed and not that he was disappointed at Poe's repeated passionate speeches about his new family being forged in camaraderie, not romance. Finn knew the surname had been a platonic gesture, but damn did it hurt to hear it declared so vehemently by the man he'd been quickly falling for.

Which is why he preferred Poe not make jokes about their non-marriage. But Poe seemed sufficiently contrite, so Finn set the dossier aside again and said, "I'm really glad you made it back safely." Poe perked up again at the apparent forgiveness. "So, what took so long?"

Poe waved the question away as he plopped down next to his friend, "Tell you about it later. I wanna talk about your big news!" Finn tensed up again at the mention. Poe, of course noticed. "Hey, this is great! Your first actual assignment? And it's escorting a senator--one of the only senators that wasn't on Hosnian Prime when... Buddy, that's huge!"

"I know, but what if something goes wrong? They've got me on lookout, and if I miss something--," Finn was headed into a ramble, but was halted by Poe's hand on his shoulder.

"Everyone gets nervous ahead of their first mission. Everyone."

"Yeah, but... not everyone has to worry about being accused of being a double-agent if they mess up," Finn responded. Poe's grip on his shoulder tightened, and his voice was low and dangerous when he asked, "Who's accusing you of being a spy?"

"N-no one! I mean, not that I know of," Finn stammered. Poe visibly relaxed at the assurance. "But it just seems like the kind of conclusion they'd reach if--."

"Finn. Buddy." Poe had hold of his face now, forcing him to look at him. "If anyone thinks you're a spy after you blew up the Starkiller-- _The Starkiller_ \--point them out to me or the General so we can kick them out, because we honestly can't afford to have anyone that stupid among our ranks. Okay?" Finn's laugh was completely involuntary but totally worth the smile it got from Poe, though he already missed the pilot's hands on his cheeks.

"So, any tips for my mission to..." He looked down at the dossier. "Jeez, I still have no idea how to pronounce it." He handed it to a chuckling Poe, who read the name and shook his head.

"Nothing. I've never been."

"Really? I'm going somewhere you haven't gone?" Finn knew Poe hadn't actually been everywhere, but it sometimes seemed like it.

"Yup, I can only tell you what I've heard, which is probably already in your dossier," Poe shrugged.

"You'd probably tell it a lot better than the dossier, though," Finn pointed out, thinking of the dry military document.

"This is true, but my second-hand tips come at a price: several Corellian ales!" Poe declared, rising from the bed.

"Several Corellian ales the night before I leave for my first mission sounds like a terrible idea," Finn said levelly.

Poe nodded solemnly. "Yes. Yes, it does."

Finn sighed and got to his feet. "But we're gonna do it anyway, aren't we?"

Poe grinned and threw an arm across Finn's shoulder. "Yes. Yes, we are."

 

* * *

 

Finn wondered if this was how Poe felt when he came back from a successful mission: bone-tired but the kind of bone-tired that only comes with a job well-done. And Finn had done his job and done it well, even saved the day a little. He'd earned this sense of accomplishment and the cozy bed waiting in his quarters. They'd returned later than planned, after most of the base had gone to sleep, and he'd had to debrief afterwards, so it was past midnight when he finally snuck into his room.

The lights were out, and Poe's blanket was rising and falling in a recognizable deep sleep rhythm. Good. Finn just wanted his PJs and pillow and bed, glorious bed.

"You had me worried there, buddy."

Finn groaned into his pillow, but there was a smile there too. "Yes, and now I'm home safe. Surely you can sleep easy now."

He heard the rustling of blankets which meant Poe wasn't going back to sleep. "C'mon, you were supposed to be back this morning. Something had to happen."

"It did."

Beat.

"Finn."

"Mmm."

"Finn." Oh, for kriff's sake, he was sitting on his bed now.

" _Poe_."

"Fiiin." Finn huffed out in surprise as his roommate draped himself across his back.

"You can wait until tomorrow, you child!" Finn laughed.

"Fiiine," Poe whined, and Finn snickered into his pillow.

"Fine. Now, are you going back to bed, or did you plan to fall asleep on my back?"

"Right here's good," Poe answered, not moving.

"Ugh, you're lucky I'm too tired to fight you."

"Hmm, very lucky...." Finn started to drift off finally. "I _was_ worried about you, though."

"Mmhmm... the tables have turned."

"The tables can go kriff themselves."

Quiet. Nearly asleep.

"I'm really glad you made it back safely, Finn."

 

* * *

 

“Gooood morning, hero!"

Finn yanked the blanket up over his head and buried his face in his pillow, groaning. "There has to be a law... _somewhere_... against waking a man before midday after he comes back from a mission in the middle of the night."

"Hah! There may be, but you got in late at best. Middle of the night... honestly!" Poe declared, closing the door behind him. Finn felt the bed dip as Poe sat next to him. "In all seriousness, you shouldn't sleep too late, or you'll just screw up your circadian rhythm. Here." Something warm and fragrant hovered near Finn's head.

Sapir Tea. Finn's favorite. "All is forgiven." He quickly sat up to take the paper cup and breathe in the lovely, calming aroma. "Did they do a supply run early? Mess was out of this the other day."

"Still is, but this came from my secret stash," Poe winked, taking his own cup from the dresser.

"You keep a secret stash of my favorite tea?"

Poe's cheeks turned pink, probably from the steam curling up from the cup. "Had a feeling they'd be out when you came back from your first mission. And given tradition, I thought it best to have a contingency."

"Tradition? Oh! That reminds me!" Finn exclaimed, setting the cup on his desk so he could rummage through his pack on the floor. "I wasn't actually sure if this would be okay or if it was only meant for you and your family, but I saw them and remembered you said you'd never been there, and there wasn't much time to decide, and it wasn't that expensive, so I figured I'd get one, and if you didn't want it, then I could start my own collection or just use it whenever or something, so..." By this point he'd withdraw the tissue-wrapped package he'd been looking for and held it out to Poe with now shaky hands.

Poe took and unwrapped the mug, a kitschy thing with a city skyline painted around the sides, with an unreadable expression. This had been a bad idea. Finn could see that now. This was supposed to be a family tradition, and Finn had intruded. He knew the surname had just been a gesture, and he'd still gone too far.

He was just about to apologize when Poe reached over with his free hand and gently tugged Finn's face toward his. "I gotta stop telling people you're like my brother," the pilot smiled, stroking Finn's cheek. "Can't have the Damerons being known for incest." And then his lips were on Finn's, and whoa, boy, that was _not_ a platonic gesture.

When Poe pulled away a few seconds later and said in the smallest, most hopeful voice Finn had ever heard, "I hope that was okay," Finn nodded quickly and probably more vigorously than was dignified. But Poe's relieved grin was like starshine and more than worth it.

"What a story to tell the grandkids, though," Finn finally found his words.

"Hah!" Poe planted one more small peck on Finn's lips before leaning back and grabbing his tea.

"So, I don't remember if I told you, but when a Dameron brings home a mug and tells their story, the family takes turns drinking from the mug. Only time it's ever used." He dumped his tea into the mug and passed it over to Finn.

"I think I can handle that," Finn smiled into a long sip of the tea. When he passed it back, Poe winked and made a point of putting his lips over the spot Finn had used before taking an even longer sip. "So, first off, before we even got to the planet...."

 

* * *

 

"Honey, I'm home!"

Poe snorted as his boyfriend shut the door behind him. The sharpshooter had spent way too much time with him. "Thank goodness you're home safe from the mess," he snarked, noting the steaming paper cups Finn was setting on his dresser.

"You should. I had to fight Snap for the last two bags," Finn beamed, bending down to kiss the pilot.

"My hero," Poe smirked as Finn sat beside him on the bed. "You could have just gotten me a coffee, you know."

"But then we couldn't share."

"If by share you mean you stealing my cup after you've drained yours," Poe rolled his eyes, sitting up to join the sharpshooter.

"Well," Finn huffed, mock indignantly, "Sounds like someone doesn't want his souvenir after all."

"Souvenir?" Poe's eyebrows rose. "You haven't been anywhere new in at least a month."

"Belated souvenir."

Poe laughed, but he was also wracking his brain trying to figure out when Finn had forgotten to get a mug. He hadn't been to more than two or three places that would merit it in the half year they'd been together. The wheels must have been turning pretty visibly because Finn started snickering at him. "Okay, Mr. Mysterious, where's the new mug for? And how did you get it if you haven't gone back?"

"Did you know you could use permanent marker to decorate a cheap white mug and then bake it so that it'll be permanent?"

"I seem to remember Jess going on about it at some point, yes."

"Did you also know that Iolo's a pretty good artist? Which is great because apparently I'm a terrible artist."

"I did not know either of those things," Poe shook his head. "So you made a mug?"

"I made a mug," Finn grinned as he withdrew the mug from his bag and handed it over. Poe nearly dropped it when he started laughing. "I went to Starkiller Base and all I got was this sexy lightsaber scar." Complete with a skilled rendering of Finn's back.

"This is my favorite thing," Poe laughed. "I can't hang it up. I have to use it every day."

"I kinda thought you might say that," Finn grinned, reaching into his bag again. "Good thing I planned ahead." There was a second almost identical mug in his hand. While Poe struggled to contain his giggles, Finn stood and hung the mug on a hook. There weren't many free ones left.

As he settled back in next to Poe, the pilot wrapped him into a tight embrace and kissed him sloppily on the cheek, "I kriffing love you." Finn turned to kiss him back properly.

"Love you too. Obviously." Poe grinned and let his hands start wandering. "You forgetting something?"

"Yeah, just what this sexy lightsaber scar looks like," Poe growled, sliding his old jacket from Finn's shoulders.

"Oh? I don't get to drink tea and tell my story?" except the last bit came out more like "teh mm sssst" as Poe started in on his neck.

"I already know that story," he murmured against sensitive skin.

"It's... ah... tradition."

"I vote we make a new tradition."

Half an hour later, cuddled up, skin to skin, tea gone cold sitting on the dresser, Finn ran his fingers through Poe's messy locks. "Okay, but that is not a story to tell the grandkids."

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written fiction in *mumble* years, and this is un-beta'ed, _and_ it was written on my phone, so... yeah. Truthfully this is just a warm up, but I thought y'all might like it anyway.


End file.
